February 23, 2021 Millburn Township Committee Meeting Minutes Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Township Committee of the Township of Millburn, in Essex County, New Jersey, held in Town Hall and remotely starting at 7:00 PM on the above date. Mayor Prupis opened the meeting and read the following statement: In accordance with Section 5 of the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 231, Public Laws, 1975, are advised that notice of this meeting was made by posting on the Bulletin Board, Town Hall, and serving the officially designated newspapers, a notice stating that this meeting would take place at the Town Hall and remotely at 7:00 PM on February 23, 2021. Mayor Prupis asked all those present to stand for the Salute to the Flag. Upon call of the roll, the following Committee members were recorded present: Maggee Miggins, Tara B. Prupis, Dianne Thall Eglow, Richard J. Wasserman and Sanjeev Vinayak. Also present were Business Administrator Alexander McDonald, Township Clerk Christine Gatti (remotely, via Zoom), Township Attorney Christopher Falcon, and Administrative Analyst Jesse Moehlman. Approval of Agenda Mayor Prupis asked for a motion to approve the agenda. The motion was offered by Mr. Wasserman and seconded by Ms. Miggins. Vote: All Ayes Minutes Mayor Prupis asked for a motion to approve the December 15, 2020 regular meeting minutes. The motion was made by Mr. Wasserman and seconded by Ms. Thall Eglow. Vote: All Ayes, except Miggins, and Vinayak who abstained Mayor Prupis asked for a motion to approve the December 15, 2020 special meeting minutes. The motion was made by Ms. Thall Eglow and seconded by Mr. Wasserman. Vote: All Ayes, except Miggins, and Vinayak who abstained Mayor Prupis asked for a motion to approve the December 17, 2020 special meeting minutes. The motion was made by Ms. Thall Eglow and seconded by Mr. Wasserman. Vote: All Ayes, except Miggins, and Vinayak who abstained 1 February 23, 2021 Millburn Township Committee Meeting Minutes Reports Mayor Prupis stated it was a great honor to be the Mayor and was blessed to live in a privileged community. She thanked all DPW, fire, police, town hall employees and residents for their hard work in handling the snow. She advised that the schools were providing Covid-19 testing for parents, families, students and staff on Tuesdays. She announced that the fourth annual March 4th 5K would take place on Sunday, March 7 on Brookside Drive. She advised that 3,354 Millburn residents had received the first dose of the Covid-19 Vaccine and 1,170 received the second dose, with a total of 4,524 vaccinations received within Millburn Township. The Environmental Commission created an Open Space Subcommittee in which they discussed the idea of setting up an Open Space Trust Fund for Millburn Township. The next Environmental Commission meeting would be on March 10th at 7pm. She announced upcoming Rahway’s River Mayor’s Council meetings and pointed out that on March 3rd they would meet with Essex County Executive, Joe DiVincenzo, to receive approval of their consensus plan to bypass the Orange reservoir at the recreational complex. She advised that she wrote a letter to Governor Murphy to request him to direct the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) to develop a solution to the challenge of regional flood control. She announced that the Downtown Vision Plan Steering Committee had been hosting virtual mini sessions in order to hear from residents and their opinions and reviewed available surveys. She provided details on how to use the interactive map on the downtown vision plan webpage. She reviewed future meeting details. She announced that the next Perkins Eastman meeting would be scheduled for March 11th, with hopes of a Perkins Eastman plan presentation of their downtown plan at the March 23rd Township Committee meeting. Mr. McDonald demonstrated the interactive downtown vision map. Mayor Prupis advised now was the time to think of a larger vision for the downtown since the Covid-19 pandemic had created unprecedented challenges for businesses which had changed the way people used the downtown. She reviewed various Art Advisory Committee upcoming events, activities and programs. Ms. Thall Eglow noted that the Shade Tree Advisory board met and they were proactive with their tree trimming and pruning. She advised residents that if they needed to have a tree removed they should contact Shade Tree and receive permission from the Forester. Ms. Miggins stated that she met with the Zoning Code Examination Subcommittee. She advised that the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum were almost sold out for their summer program. She reviewed upcoming fundraisers. She reviewed upcoming Library events and activities. They Library Director asked to thank the DPW for their hard work on snow removal and pot hole patching. Mr. Wasserman reported that the Special Improvement District (SID) was working hard to support businesses in town now with the help of both Ryan Gleason, Executive Director, and Marla Itzkin, Marketing. He noted that the Business Advocacy Subcommittee met and would draft a comprehensive survey for all businesses and commercial property owners in the five business districts in order to focus their efforts of support. He added that they would also develop a welcome packet for prospective businesses entering the business districts. They were also looking into a comprehensive list of vacancies in the Township so they may target those spaces with commercial realtors. The Finance Subcommittee 2 February 23, 2021 Millburn Township Committee Meeting Minutes met and are continuing a review of all of the township’s finances. He stated that the township would be holding the tax line for 2021 and the last time local taxes didn’t go up was in 2018. He commended Mr. McDonald and Mr. Gabloff, CFO, for doing a great job with the finances and the town was in a very strong financial position. Mr. Vinayak presented the municipal financials. He reviewed how taxes are distributed between the county, municipality and school. He pointed out that they had worked to keep the tax line from increasing for 2021. Mr. Vinayak continued his review of the municipality’s finances and how they were allocated. Mr. Vinayak reviewed goals for 2021. Mr. Wasserman commented that every so often there were negative comments in the press about Millburn having high taxes; however, Millburn had one of the best schools and that’s what the tax dollars paid for. Mayor Prupis thanked Mr. Vinayak. Mr. Falcon recalled a report on the complaint the Urso’s filed with the Local Finance Board (LFB) of the conflict of interest of Deputy Mayor Prupis and her vote in regard to the SID ordinance. The LFB dismissed the Urso’s complaint. Resident, Mr. Feld, had announced at a prior meeting he would represent Ms. Urso pro bono and refiled with the LFB to rescind their determination. The LFB had denied the motion for reconsideration that was filed by Mr. Feld on behalf of the Urso’s. Mr. Falcon advised there was no longer a complaint with the LFB. Mr. McDonald recalled an ongoing complaint about double parking issues in front of the Millburn Deli. He stated that the idea of installing seven reverse angle parking in that area was provided to the Committee for consideration. He noted that this would be a temporary solution to determine the efficacy of the change. Mr. McDonald asked the Committee to weigh in on the proposed reconfiguration of the area. Mr. Vinayak stated that he thought it was a great idea. Mr. Wasserman noted that he wanted to make sure the traffic department was on site when it was executed, as the intersection was busy and it would be new for commuters. Mr. McDonald agreed with Mr. Wasserman. Mayor Prupis asked for a timeline. Mr. McDonald provided details and a proposed time schedule. Mayor Prupis asked that the change be well communicated to the public. Mr. Wasserman asked to alert other businesses. Ms. Miggins asked why parking wouldn’t be head in parking instead of reverse in. Mr. McDonald advised of the dangers of head in parking. A discussion ensued between Ms. Miggins in Mr. McDonald in regards to reverse angle parking. Ms. Thall Eglow asked if Maser Consulting reviewed the proposal and Mr. McDonald advised the idea had not been brought to them. Ms. Thall Eglow advised she’d feel more comfortable commenting once the traffic engineer reviewed the idea. Mayor Prupis asked if the spaces would have a time limit. Mr. McDonald advised that had not yet been considered. Mr. McDonald suggested if the need arose for a delivery driver section then that could be 3 February 23, 2021 Millburn Township Committee Meeting Minutes reviewed at a later time. He stated that outreach to the other businesses nearby would be a part of the project. Presentation Bike Week Presentation Mayor Prupis announced resident Jennifer Duckworth who would present details on “Bike Week”. Ms. Duckworth thanked the Committee for their hard work. She represented the Pedestrian Safety Advisory Board (PSAB) and stated that they were tasked to promote pedestrian and bike safety within the township. Ms. Duckworth reviewed the various events scheduled each day for “Bike Week”. Mayor Prupis thanked Ms. Duckworth for all her hard work. Public Comment – Consent Agenda Mayor Prupis asked if there were any comments or questions from the Committee regarding items on the Consent Agenda Resolutions. Mayor Prupis reminded residents public comment was a time for residents to state their comments and not a time for a dialogue. She advised that the Committee could be reached via email. Mayor Prupis provided the rules of public comment. Mayor Prupis opened public comment.